Eric Scheske

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Economics

Frickin' Boomers

The average American is saving absolutely nothing these days [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070201/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/economy]. In fact, the average American spent more than he earned last year. Why? Nobody is sure, but economists say it could be a problem: > Whatever the

The Tuesday Eudemon

I'm nearly speechless [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248196,00.html]: > A 12-year-old German boy who insisted he was a girl trapped in a boy's body convinced his parents that something had to be done, so they agreed to allow him to receive

The Swedish Deal

Great commentary at Spero about the reality of Sweden's welfare state and economy [http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idcategory=34&idSub=158&idArticle=5664] . Excerpt: > A closer examination, however, reveals that the famous "Swedish Model" does not work very well. This

Confetti Money

> A lavish wedding where newly-weds were sprinkled with shredded euro-note confetti has provoked outrage in a French town, a newspaper reported on Tuesday [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060801/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_france_confetti;_ylt=As_F0CbHd5fV2cyfmhd7aNys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3NW1oMDRpBHNlYwM3NTc-] . As more and more people in the

Saving $3.00

> Some California drivers are resorting to desperate measures to beat the surge in gas prices at the pump -- deliberately running dry on the state's freeways and simply waiting for rescue [http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/25/life.gas.reut/index.html]. When they run

Ford

I question the flood of boycotts, but the Ford one seems to be picking up steam. This site [http://www.boycottford.com/] has an impressive assortment of evidence against Ford and a fairly-long list of boycotters.

So Complex the Designer Can't Do It

Evidence of the Internal Revenue Code's absurdity keeps piling up: > When it comes to their tax returns, many members of Congress who specialize in writing tax laws turn to professional preparers rather than completing the paperwork themselves. > "It's onerous, and everybody knows it,

Teaching Children About Work

I thought I had read every children's story on the planet, but I missed this one: > One of my favorite books when I was a child was Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day. It is a collection of short stories about everyday life

Odd Consumer News

Those 1950's diners were often simple mobile units tied to a parcel of land. You want to buy one? Go here [http://www.americandinermuseum.org/dinersforsale/dinersforsale.php]. Bring me Mel's Drive-In [http://www.mistersf.com/cinema/index.html?cingraffiti02.htm]! Of course, Mel's

Standby

I"ve always wondered how much all those digital clocks and other little energy things (e.g., night lights) cost me every year: > [A] typical microwave oven consumes more electricity powering its digital clock than it does heating food. For while heating food requires more than 100 times